The Modern Substitute has published an enthusiastic review of Drømme Awake, a functional botanical spirit ($39 for 750ml) made with organic extracts and fresh herbs. Drømme makes two expressions — Awake, built around stimulating adaptogens and nootropics like lion's mane, and Calm, its wind-down counterpart.
The flavor profile runs fruit-forward — pomegranate, watermelon, guava, hibiscus — but the detail that earned the strongest praise is the finish: Szechuan pepper providing a spicy warmth that mimics the burn of a traditional spirit. Reviewer Myles Faulkner called it "one of the best non-alcoholic drinks I've had yet," endorsing it both as a neat sipper and in cocktails — his AF Whiskey Sour built on it came back "extraordinary."
The Cr(af)ted Take
The Szechuan pepper detail deserves more attention than it will get. The hardest thing to replace in an AF spirit isn't flavor — it's the sensation of warmth on the finish, the thing that makes a drink feel like a drink. Capsaicin-adjacent botanicals are one of the few honest ways to get there, and producers who solve the finish problem are solving the category's deepest weakness.
On the functional angle — adaptogens, nootropics — our advice is to buy the bottle for how it tastes in a cocktail, and treat any wellness effects as a bonus. A $39 AF spirit has to earn its place in a Whiskey Sour first. By this review's account, this one does.
Original reporting: The Modern Substitute →